Author: Ulrich P. Klein

We were asked to give an interview about our project after it had ended in October 2018 which we were very glad to give. We were all sure that the aims of the project have been reached, that all participants got on that well that they want to work in another project together again and that there has been a real change of mind amongst the participating pupils and teachers with regard to a more sustainable lifestyle.

At the end of last school year, the staff of our school went on a hike to the Biosphere reserve Saarschleife and its treetop-path where we were not only informed about the geological history of this famous natural sight but also about the vegetation in the vicinity. The results of the herbarium competition conducted that year by all participating Erasmus-partners could be made use of as there is a new awareness for determining the names and features of trees and bushes and flowers we encounter in our daily surroundings.

The excursion was very inspiring to all of us—lots of ideas were shared among the teachers on how to improve their work by purposefully including nature experience in all subjects.

A competition for a European herbarium was conducted by all participating schools in order to raise the pupils’ awareness for the vegetation around them and to make them conscious of changes taking place in nature on account of the climate change as well as simply enjoying the beauty surrounding them.

There were prizes for the winners in each country which were made possible by our EU funding. The prizes were given out to give the pupils the possibility of a deeper study of the subject-matter of the vegetation around them and in some cases of plants photographed on their holidays to other European countries.

A whole series of art lessons was conducted by the art teacher in the Erasmus team with the aim of examining how water was painted or presented in art in the course of the different epochs. Pupils were also encouraged to try to paint water themselves and to find out in which different ways it can be depicted and what kind of colours are fitting.